Cayuga Birthplace at Cayuga Medical Center was recently recognized by Excellus Blue Cross/Blue Shield with a Blue Distinction® Centers (BDC) for Maternity Care designation, as part of the Blue Distinction Specialty Care program.  

“Cayuga Birthplace is proud to be recognized by Excellus Blue Cross/Blue Shield for meeting the rigorous BDC quality selection criteria for maternity care set by the Blue Distinction Specialty Care program,” states Dr. Martin Stallone, President & CEO of Cayuga Health.

“I’ve been here for 25 years, and in that time, we’ve always striven to provide a quality service and do a good job for our patients,” states Dr. Stephen Gelber, Medical Director of Cayuga Birthplace. “It’s nice to get an award and be recognized for offering such an important and outstanding service to our community.”

“The team at Cayuga Birthplace is just amazing, and I think that receiving this award is great because for the first time it has really given them the recognition for the care they have been providing for a super long time,” states Nicole Alsopp, RN – Director of Cayuga Birthplace.

In 2020, the Blue Distinction Centers for Maternity Care Program was expanded beyond traditional outcome measures to include assessments of internal quality improvement, data collection and dissemination, and internal protocols that better address clinical quality and equity issues in maternity care. New in the evaluation cycle, facilities must collect race ethnicity data, have a maternal quality improvement program, commence drills and simulations for adverse events, and have dedicated protocols and procedures for the management of hypertension and hemorrhage. In addition, they must meet clinical outcome metrics at a higher standard than required previously. Specifically, the rate for low risk first time cesarean sections (NTSV c-section rate, PC-02) has been aligned with the revised Healthy People 2020 goals. Facilities eligible for the Blue Distinction Centers for Maternity care show statistically significant differences in key clinical outcomes compared to their peers.

Since 2006, the Blue Distinction Specialty Care program has helped patients find quality specialty care in the areas of bariatric surgery, cancer care, cardiac care, cellular immunotherapy, fertility care, gene therapy, knee and hip replacement, maternity care, spine surgery, substance use treatment and recovery, and transplants, while encouraging healthcare professionals to improve the care they deliver. Research shows that, compared to other providers, those designated as Blue Distinction Centers demonstrate better quality and improved outcomes for patients.

All companies and trademarks listed above are the property of their respective owners and used for identification purposes only and are in no way associated or affiliated with the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association. Use of these trademarks does not imply endorsement. The Blue Cross® and Blue Shield® names and symbols and Blue Distinction® are registered trademarks of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: John Turner, Vice President, Public Relations
Cayuga Health
(607) 274-4498

About Cayuga Health  

Cayuga Health (CH) has two hospitals, Cayuga Medical Center and Schuyler Hospital, as well as a multi-specialty group, Cayuga Medical Associates. Combined employment, including affiliated organizations, is over 2,500 employees. CH is clinically linked to Mayo Medical Laboratories, Rochester Regional Health for cardiac services, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center for cancer services, and the University of Rochester for neurosciences. Visit www.cayugahealth.org for more information.

About the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association
The Blue Cross Blue Shield Association is a national federation of 36 independent, community-based and locally operated Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies that collectively provide health care coverage for one in three Americans. BCBSA provides health care insights through The Health of America Report series and the national BCBS Health IndexSM. For more information on BCBSA and its member companies, please visit